A Hate Crime You Won't See in Statistics

You may not have heard of 24-year-old Nathan Runkle. Even if you haven't, you've probably seen the startling undercover images shot inside the California egg industry last year. Those were filmed by Nathan's organization, Mercy for Animals. Nathan started the group in 1999, when he was just 15 years old. Today, Mercy for Animals is a national powerhouse in the animal protection movement. Their expose on the cruelties of California's egg factories was a major force in helping to pass Proposition 2.

On Saturday, December 27, 2008, Nathan was brutally attacked and severely beaten. His assailant went for his face. Nathan suffered facial fractures, a broken nose, a deviated septum and severe bruising.

The attack happened because Nathan is gay. His assailant was able to flee the scene unidentified.

I hadn't originally thought to write a follow-up to my earlier blog about anti-gay hate crimes, "When 'Disagreement' Becomes Murder," but felt compelled to do so by this brutal assault.

There simply couldn't be a kinder and more gentle soul than Nathan Runkle. He has devoted his young life to making the world a better place for all beings, to fighting tirelessly against ignorance and cruelty.

But to his attacker, Nathan was just a faceless, nameless target who deserved to die simply because he's gay. And Nathan is one of the lucky ones -- he survived, and despite his injuries, is expected to recover fully.

In response to my earlier piece, several readers wondered about my focus on gay, lesbian, and transgendered victims of hate. What about other victims, they asked, don't they matter?

Each victim of a hate crime is equally precious. Each is equally deserving of protection and justice.

But the sad fact is that in America, some victims are more equal than others. Crimes against gay, lesbian, and transgendered people are significantly underreported, but from FBI statistics we know them to be on the rise, at least 24% since 2005, and yet they are the only hate crimes excluded from federal and many state statues, making proper investigation and prosecution difficult, if not impossible.

Such is the case in Ohio, where Nathan was attacked. His assault won't officially be considered a hate crime by the authorities, nor will it be included in statistics.

The past two months have seen a surge in brutal attacks against gay, lesbian and transgendered people, or those just perceived to be so. Moses "Teish" Cannon was shot and killed in Syracuse, NY, for being gay and identifying as female in November. In December, Ecuadoran immigrant Jose Sucuzhanay was beaten to death with a baseball bat in Brooklyn by three men yelling anti-gay and anti-Latino slurs. A 28-year-old woman in San Francisco was assaulted and gang-raped by four men for being a lesbian. And just after Christmas, in Dayton, Ohio, Nathan became a target.

What can you do to fight for all these victims?

Write and call your local representatives and demand the introduction and/or passage of legislation that adds sexual orientation and gender to existing hate crime statutes.

Write and call your Senators, Members of Congress, and President-Elect Obama, and demand the immediate passage of the long-languishing Matthew Shepard Act, which would add gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability to existing federal hate crime law, and also enable federal authorities to investigate and prosecute hate crimes local authorities fail to pursue.

Gandhi once said: "No one is free while others are oppressed." Members of Mercy for Animals have long understood the connection and have participated in marches for gay rights with banners bearing that very slogan, trying to make people see that all prejudice and abuse ultimately spring from the same source, whether its targets be humans or non-human animals.

Comments

[Amy00]

Thank you so much for bringing light to this issue. People seem to be unaware of how often hate crimes like this are committed. They certainly don't get as much media attention as most any other subject. People like you are changing that, thank you for your voice!

[ElaineVigneault]

Thank you for writing about this.

[Roryfreedman]

I was heartsick when I first learned of the attack, and I felt so, so sorry for Nathan. But I pity the person who attacked him even more. Nathan's face and spirit will heal. But his attacker? I cannot imagine how angry, sad, and confused one would have to be to beat the face of a man he's never met, simply because he's gay. Nathan is one of the kindest, gentlest souls I've ever met. Since the age of fifteen, he has dedicated his life to being of service. He deserves to heralded on a daily basis.

Mikko, thank you for such an important piece. Legislation needs to be in place to protect all minorities.

[ramyh]

I hope they find the sick bastard who attacked Nathan and...

[Neakark]

It is needed to have these stories known and fleshed out. I wish we lived in a society where 'hate crime' legislation was not necessary but it is. If a crime is committed because of a prevailing prejudice that prejudice will only subside when we as a society are having an active conversation to bring the issues out into the open. The more they get shoved into the dark the darker and more horrible they become. Having The Matthew Shepard Act passed will bring these issues to light in a way that mainstream media cannot ignore. This is one of the best ways to both bring these crimes to justice and bring about cultural change in our society about a minority group. It is what is necessary at this moment.
Thanks Mikko. Keep writing to fight the good fight.

[warwak]

Nathan sees the connections between our treatment of animals and each other. Nathan also understands how our problems start as well as how to correct them.

"We believe that in a time when there's so much violence, especially in schools, that teachers who show kindness and compassion for all life should be commended," said Nathan Runkle, executive director of the Chicago-based Mercy for Animals advocacy group, which lobbies against factory farms. "It's appropriate for students to learn about the horrendous cruelty that animals endure on factory farms, and about the benefits of a healthy diet."

[enveg01]

I'm shocked beyond belief at how many people on here think there should be no such thing as hate crimes laws. I wonder how many of you are white, Christian, heterosexual men.

[enveg01]

Thank you for raising awareness about hate crimes and for making sure that Nathan's horrific attack doesn't go unnoticed. It's incredibly disheartening to read that crimes against LGBT people have gone up 24% since 2005. Just awful.

[1will]

I see no need for hate crime laws. Assault is assault, rape is rape and murder is murder. If the current sentences for these crimes is not severe enough then lobby to make them harsher. A murder is no more severe because the criminal is gay or a minority. Hate crime laws are disproportionaly used against whites and are most likely to be used for political purposes. Any new hate crime laws will be used to silence free speech and create a protected class of citizens that cannot be criticized.

[Dave01]

"Hate crime laws are disproportionaly used against whites." And why do you think that is? It's because white people disproportionally commit such crimes.

[1will]

Not really. We make up a little over 60% of the population in this country so statisticaly we probaly should commit more crimes of every sort. This is not always the case but it would make sense if whites committed more total crimes.
Unfortunately even the most horrific crimes committed by minorities are not tried as hate crimes while every crime committed by caucasians brings cries for hate crime charges. Politics drives these charges more often than not.
I'll give you an example. Last year there was a horrible crime in West VA in which a black woman was kidnapped, tortured and sexually assaulted by a white family. Everyone called for hate crime charges (as if kidnapping, torture and rape aren't enough). On the other hand a young white couple (Christian and Newsom) were raped, tortured and murdered by 5 black felons in Tennessee yet it was only local news and Jesse and Al seemed uninterested in hate crime charges. Go figure. Can you imagine 5 white kids trying to kick a black kids head in and there being no cries for hate crime charges to be filed? There is a huge double standard in how these laws are applied.

[greenwriter]

Most violent crimes are committed by people against people they know, making the cases easier to solve. Hate crimes, however, most often target strangers and quickly spiral into serial offenses, requiring added resources to crack the case. That is why hate crime statutes were created.

[1will]

You have me on this one. I will admit that I only know of hate crime laws bringing harsher sentences. Please detail the added resources you are referring to.

[TheDiscerningBrute]

1will, I have no intention of having a back-and-forth with you. All I will say is that you have an incredibly unrealistic idealism about our justice system. If you think the thoughtfulness that went into the creation of Hate Crime Laws was not scrutinized sufficiently, I suggest you get into law or politics and become that hero for all crime victims that will level the playing field. Until that happens, justice will not be carried out by impervious and objective people. Hate crime laws become necessary in a society where prejudice results in statistically under-reported crimes, and where criminals who see themselves as justified by popularly-held prejudices feel emboldened in committing crimes.

[1will]

I think our hate crime laws were created by politicians pandering to certain demographics for votes. I doubt it's any more complicated than that.
If a criminal sees himself as justified in commiting a crime against a certain race, gender or sexual orientation then the local prosecutor has been sending the wrong message to the community. It's time to stop the plea bargains for these criminals. Pile on the felony charges.
How long do you honestly think it will be before an editorial against gay marriage becomes a hate crime? How about a sermon? I can see this happening in the very near future. I have read about Australia and Great Britian in regards to their laws. A gentleman in Australia was convicted of hate crimes for reading parts of the Koran on air. Now they were not flattering parts of the Koran but if it's the Muslims word of god then they shouldn't be offended by hearing it or others hearing it. The Aussie laws are so skewed the gentleman couldn't even read his "Offending" statements as evidence in the courtroom. A 250 word limit doesn't even allow me to detail Great Britian's craziness. I have no doubt we'll be joining them soon.

[RightWingMarine]

My first comment was deleted but I agree with you. Is a murder victim more dead if the murderer didn't like the victim because of their ethnicity? Is a assault victim likely to give a pass on their assalaint if they didn't like them for personal reasons rather than sexual orientation?

Who gets to decide when it's a hate crime and when it's just an old fashioned crime?

[benne]

1will: Very good point. The state uses anything it can to increase its power. Look at how angry and upset law enforcement and district attorneys are in MA because, horrors of horrors, they no longer have the power to detain, incarcerate, and otherwise harass people with an ounce or less of pot. I say we liberals stop always defending the state and always looking to it to solve our problems. Get these s.o.b.s for their cruel actions, but don't give the prosecutors an enhancement that they can use and not use as they wish.

[vicenteduq]

Thanks for this important and necessary information. It is necessary to expand these informations to the maximum.

This is Outrageous ! .... People are being killed for Sexual Orientation or for Racist Reasons. Nobody can escape because some people have been attacked for being perceived of the "wrong" color or taste.

I have been making rosters of the victims of hate crime and their families. Showing their photo albums and their hobbies, like playing the piano or flute, having good friends, living in a neighborhood. Also the Funerals and the victim family at the courthouse. The Brutal Rallies against the victims, etc ...

So that you can perceive that the victim is a human being and his family is a loving and caring family.

The "Brutal Rallies" against the victim or the victim's family show the perversion and sickness of a part of society that wants to follow in the old ways of the Ku Klux Klan, the Nazi Party, White Supremacists or other People of Hate.

The perpetrators are true terrorists and cowards.

More studies on hate crime here :

http://raciality.blogspot.com

Vicente Duque

[BigGuy]

Thank you for posting this.

[SonofLiberty1]

All human life is sacred from conception to natural death.